


The Father

by Issay



Series: The Brothers Ri [3]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Dwarves, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 19:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3085013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Issay/pseuds/Issay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dori hides his face in his long, unbraided beard and weeps bitterly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Father

He is old.

 

He has done enough in the long days of his life, more than most dwarves have ever done. Dori helped to reclaim a kingdom. He buried two kings and wept over two princes. Dori raised two of his brothers and likes to think he did it well – well, mostly, since even Nori eventually straightened out. His wayward brother is now a Master Spy for the King Under the Mountain himself, it is an honor to the Ri house. And Ori, sweet younger Ori who was not so little anymore, had followed Balin to Moria, to serve in their old friend's court.

And served him until goblin's arrow pierced little Ori's heart.

 

Dori hides his face in his long, unbraided beard and weeps bitterly.

 

Just next to Balin, son of Fundin. Near the white grave, with the chronicle of Moria's last days in his dead hands, Gandalf said.

“I recognized his knitted sweater and mittens,” says the White wizard with sadness in his tone when he visits Erebor after the War of the Ring has finally ended. “Unfortunately, the book itself was lost when the Fellowship has fled the mines.”

But Dori does not hear that. He hears despair in Dwalin's angry words and tears in Nori's voice. He feels the beating of his own heart and wishes it would just stop because Ori is dead, Ori is no more and he was left alone in the darkness with only goblin corpses and cold white light for companions of his endless sleep.

 

Dori is silent as he reaches for one of Nori's knives. With a hand that bears signs of hard work, a hand that is steady, he cuts his long hair and leaves it on the marble floor. Then he stands up and leaves, heavy doors closing after him with a heavy sound and no one brave enough to follow him.

 

Ori would.

 

Ori would run out after him and slid his hand into Dori's, just like he did when he was just a wee dwarfling. And they would walk the long way home instead of taking a shortcut because Ori likes watching others, and they would drink hot tea with too much sugar, just the way Ori likes it.

 

Likes.

_Liked._

 

The difference hits Dori so hard it is suddenly hard to breath.


End file.
